Baby Steins -- (Featured Stein Jan 2000)

January Stein of the Month:

~ Baby Steins ~

The folklore and culture of many countries refer to the stork as delivering babies to expectant mothers and fathers, but where did this story come from?

The stork is the official bird of Lithuania and it is also seen as a good luck symbol throughout Europe. Storks treat their own young with caring and kindness, and many tales have been written about the wisdom of these birds. Even Hans Christian Andersen wrote about a stork delivering a fairy princess out of a swamp. And what about the Vlasic pickle stork? He delivers, too!

Maybe then, that's the reason for the story on these steins. The stork is reading a letter from the nervous and expectant parents-to-be. The floor is littered with other letters, each filled with the wishes of the anxious new parents - a boy or a girl, and perhaps some special talents or future for their child. The stork must choose each baby wisely and deliver that "special" one to each waiting household.

Take a look at these little "bundles of joy", each waiting to be matched up with just the right parents to appreciate his or her special gifts...

Stein Translation:
The stork's sample warehouse.

A King or Ruler

An Artist

A Soldier?

A Jailor or Watchman?

A Scholar perhaps and a female with a bag full of money? What do you suppose they are doing with those bottles?

A Thief and a Merchant or Judge?

The first is grabbing for another baby's bag of money and the second has scales and law books.

Tinker,
Tailor,
Soldier,
Sailor,
Gentleman,
Apothecary,
Plough-boy,
Thief.
Soldier brave, sailor true,
Skilled physician,
Oxford blue,
Rhyme Learned lawyer,
squire so hale,
Dashing airman, curate pale.
Army, Navy,
Medicine, Law,
Church, Nobility,
Nothing at all.

-English Nursery Rhymes

Rich Man, Poor Man
Beggar Man, Thief,
Doctor, Lawyer
Indian Chief
-American Version

A laird, a lord
A piper, a drummer,
A stealer of beef.
-Scottish Version

Tinker, Tailor
Soldier, Sailor
Rich Man, Poor Man
Beggar Man, Thief!
-Old English Version

Poems of Work Chosen by Helen Plotz; All taken from "Saturday's Children"

Which baby would you choose? Aren't you glad you're not a stork?

These steins were provided by Henry Burgwyn,
member of SCI and the Carolina Steiners Chapter in Raleigh, NC.
Photography, scanning and graphics by Ginger Williams.